JP2005161414A - Electric equipment apparatus cooling structure of anthropomorphic robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate necessity of arranging an installation space of a cooling means on a leg and an arm, for enhancing maneuverability of the leg and the arm, by enhancing a degree of freedom of appearance design of an anthropomorphic robot, by eliminating restriction on walking performance and the whole body motional function of the anthropomorphic robot, by dispensing with a back pack. <P>SOLUTION: This structure cools a control system electric equipment apparatus mounted in the anthropomorphic robot. The electric equipment apparatus cooling structure of the anthropomorphic robot is characterized in that units 14 to 18 are formed by collecting the control system electric equipment apparatuses for every function; the units 14 to 18 of these control system electric equipment apparatuses are intensively mounted in a body 1 of the anthropomorphic robot; and a cooling fan 9 for making cooling air flow backward from the front in its body 1, is arranged in front-rear parts of the body 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure for cooling control system electrical equipment such as a motor drive circuit (driver) and an operation control computer mounted on a humanoid robot.

Conventionally, the control system electrical equipment (excluding the motor) in the humanoid robot is intensively arranged in a backpack carried on the body of the humanoid robot, for example (Patent Document 1). For example, it is known that control system electrical equipment is distributed and stored in legs and arms.
JP 2002-154083 A

  However, when a large protrusion such as a backpack is provided on the body, the center of gravity shifts to the rear and the large protrusion obstructs the robot so that it greatly restricts the walking performance of the humanoid robot. There is a possibility that a large restriction is imposed on the whole body movement function at the time of going up, and the degree of freedom of the appearance design of the humanoid robot is also impaired.

  In addition, when electrical equipment is distributed and mounted on legs and arms that require exercise performance, it may increase the inertial mass including mounting brackets, etc., and may impair the exercise performance of legs and arms. There is a problem that it is necessary to individually install cooling means on the equipment for the legs and arms.

  An object of the present invention is to advantageously solve the above-described problems. An electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot according to the present invention is a structure for cooling a control system electrical equipment mounted on a humanoid robot. System electrical equipment is grouped into units for each function, the unitized control system electrical equipment is centrally mounted in the body of the humanoid robot, and cooling air is passed through the body from the front to the rear. The cooling means to be provided is provided.

  According to the electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot according to the present invention, the control system electrical equipment is centrally mounted in the body of the humanoid robot, and the cooling means provided with the control system electrical equipment on the body is provided. Because it is cooled intensively with the cooling air that flows from the front to the back in the fuselage, it can eliminate the need for a backpack equipped with control system electrical equipment, and the walking performance and whole body movement function of a humanoid robot with a backpack Can be removed, and the degree of freedom of the appearance design of the humanoid robot can be increased. Further, since cooling air flowing from the front to the rear of the body can be generated even when the humanoid robot walks forward, cooling means such as a cooling fan can be simplified.

  In addition, it is possible to eliminate the need to mount control system electrical equipment and cooling means on legs and arms that require athletic performance, and it is possible to avoid an increase in inertial mass including mounting brackets. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the need to secure a space for providing cooling means for the control system electrical equipment on the legs and arms.

  In the electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot according to the present invention, at least the upper half frame of the fuselage has a front central opening and a rear left and right opening extending from the rear to the left and right sides. A unit that includes a shell and a reinforcing member that extends across each opening of the shell outer shell and that is detachably coupled to the shell outer shell to reinforce the shell outer shell. It is also possible to mount the control electric equipment that has been made into at least the inside of the fuselage outer shell, and in this way, from the front central opening in the fuselage outer shell that surrounds the unitized control electric equipment. Since the cooling air that has entered flows from the front to the rear and exits from the rear left and right openings, etc., the control system electrical equipment can be efficiently cooled by the cooling air from the cooling means, and the fuselage frame Rigidity and Good mountability of the instrumentation equipment can be ensured and (mounting operation ease) and desorption properties.

  Further, in the electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot according to the present invention, the cooling means is provided at a front portion of the body and a cooling fan that sucks cooling air into the body from the outside, and is provided at a rear portion of the body. And at least one of the cooling fan that discharges the cooling air to the outside from the fuselage, preferably both, and in this way, the cooling fan allows the cooling air to flow from the front to the back of the fuselage. Can be circulated.

  Furthermore, in the electrical equipment cooling structure of the humanoid robot according to the present invention, the unitized control system electrical equipment is fixed to a common large heat sink on the substrate and exposed to the cooling air flow path. In this way, a plurality of heat generating elements such as FETs of the control system electrical equipment are fixed to a common large heat sink on the substrate and the cooling air of the cooling means is provided. Therefore, the plurality of exothermic elements of the control system electrical equipment can be efficiently cooled.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 are an exploded perspective view and an assembled perspective view showing the external appearance of an embodiment of the electrical equipment cooling structure for the humanoid robot of the present invention. FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) The top view and front view showing the electrical equipment cooling structure of the above embodiment, FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views showing the electrical equipment cooling structure of the above embodiment, as seen from the left hand side of the humanoid robot. 5A, 5B and 5C are a perspective view showing a driver board, a method of assembling the driver unit, and an assembled driver unit, respectively, in the electrical equipment cooling structure of the above embodiment. FIGS. 7A and 7B are a front view and a side view showing the whole of the humanoid robot, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a flow of cooling air in the electrical equipment cooling structure of the embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), the humanoid robot has two legs 2 below the body 1, and the legs 2 are in an inverted pendulum dynamic balance by a known method. While walking. This humanoid robot also has arms 3 on the left and right as viewed from the robot itself of the body 1 and a head 4 on the body 1.

  The fuselage 1 here comprises an upper half 1a and a lower half 1b that are connected to each other at the waist so as to be able to rotate back and forth and to the left and right. The electrical equipment cooling structure of this embodiment is connected to the upper half 1a of the fuselage. It has been applied. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the frame of the upper half 1a of the fuselage includes a fuselage outer shell 5, a tower bar 6 as a front reinforcement member, and two pipes as a rear reinforcement member. 6 and is arranged inside the front and rear half upper body cover 8 as shown in FIG. 6, and the left and right side portions near the front and rear and rear of the upper half body cover 8. As shown in FIG. 6, an opening 8 a such as a louver (a slit with a hook) is appropriately provided for taking in cooling air into the cover 8 and discharging cooling air outside the cover 8. .

  Here, the fuselage outer shell 5 is formed by casting of an aluminum alloy so as to be substantially T-shaped when viewed from above, and includes a front central opening 5a occupying most of the front part, and a left and right part from the rear part. It has L-shaped rear left and right openings 5b and 5c as viewed from above across the side. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 7, two cooling fans 9 are installed at the rear of the fuselage outer shell 5 as cooling means in a direction to feed air to the rear (outside the fuselage outer shell 5). ing.

  The tower bar 6 is cut from a thick plate made of an aluminum alloy, has bolt holes at both ends, and is sent to the rear (inside the fuselage outer shell 5) as a cooling means in the middle. Two cooling fans 9 in the direction to be aired and one cooling fan 9 in the direction to be sent obliquely downward between them are mounted, and left and right across the front central opening 5a of the fuselage outer shell 5 It extends in the direction, and both ends are fixed to the front part of the fuselage outer shell 5 on both sides of the front central opening 5a so as to be detachable with bolts to reinforce the front part of the fuselage outer shell 5 Yes.

  Each of the two pipe frames 7 is bent in a substantially L shape, and a fixed pipe 7a is fixed to the front end of the pipe frame 7 in a direction bent at a right angle. The bolts are fitted into cylindrical recesses formed on the left and right sides of the fuselage outer shell 5 and inserted into the fuselage shell 5 from the inside of the fuselage shell 5 to the left and right sides of the fuselage shell 5. Removably fixed.

  In addition, the two pipe frames 7 here have their rear end portions directed toward the rear portion of the fuselage outer shell 5, and the rear end portions of these pipe frames 7 are each reduced in diameter by tightening bolts. The two pipe frames 7 reinforce the rear part of the fuselage outer shell 5 by being detachably fixed to the lower end of the rear part of the fuselage outer shell 5 via the clamp 11.

  In the electrical equipment cooling structure of this embodiment, the speaker panel 13 is mounted on the upper side of the tower bar 6 of the fuselage outer shell 5 with respect to the fuselage frame of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. A motor driver unit 14 in which a large number of motor driver boards are collected is housed in the shell 5, a wireless LAN unit 15 is mounted on the side of the rear part of the fuselage outer shell 5, and in the rear part of the fuselage outer shell 5. A posture sensor unit 16 in which a three-axis gyro and a three-axis acceleration sensor are integrated is housed, a rear driver unit 17 is mounted between the front part and the rear part of the fuselage outer shell 5, and the rear part of the fuselage outer shell 5. Two computer units 18 on which a large number of computer boards for the visual control system and the motion calculation system are combined are mounted on both sides.

  FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the motor driver unit 14 in which five motor driver boards 14a are combined. Here, each motor driver board 14a has its printed board as shown in FIG. 5 (a). A heat-dissipating plate 14b having a U-shaped cross section made of a metal plate with good thermal conductivity such as an aluminum alloy or a copper plate is arranged on the top, and an FET or the like mounted by soldering on a printed board of each motor driver board 14a. The plurality of heat generating elements 14c are closely fixed to the heat radiating plate 14b by small screws and radiate heat there, and the heat radiating plate 14b efficiently dissipates heat from each heat generating element 14c by a wide heat radiating area. As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the five motor driver boards 14a are integrally coupled to each other by spacers 14d and machine screws 14e, and then a wiring connector (not shown) mounted on each motor driver board 14a is wired. By coupling to the connector 14g mounted on the circuit board 14f, each is connected to the circuit board 14f, and the small screw 14e is tightened to the female screw provided on a part of the spacer 14d via the circuit board 14f. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5C, the wiring board 14f is integrally fixed.

  Thus, in the electrical equipment mounting structure of this embodiment, many of the connections between the boards in each unit including the motor driver unit 14 can be made by joining connectors mounted on each board or on each board. The connector mounted on the board is mainly coupled to the connector mounted on the wiring board, and the reliability of the connection between the boards is improved. Further, each printed circuit board and the heat radiation plate 14b having a U-shaped cross section are firmly mounted on the printed circuit board by soldering and a plurality of exothermic elements 14c fixed to the heat radiation plate 14b by a small screw 14e. Since they are coupled, the rigidity of each printed circuit board can be secured even when a multilayer printed circuit board or the like is used, and the unit can ensure high rigidity and operate stably against impact or the like.

  In this humanoid robot, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the frame 12 of the lower half 1b of the trunk is formed by casting an aluminum alloy so as to form a substantially inverted T shape when viewed from the front. The left and right side portions corresponding to the T-shaped arm portions are places where two battery units 19 are mounted, and each of the battery units 19 is also integrated with a plurality of battery cells as electrical equipment by brackets. It is said that

  According to the electrical equipment cooling structure of the humanoid robot of this embodiment, the control system electrical equipment units 14 to 18 are centrally mounted in the body 1 of the humanoid robot, and the control system electrical equipment is installed in the body 1. A cooling fan 9 provided on the tower bar 6 is intensively cooled by cooling air sucked from outside the fuselage 1 and flows from the front to the rear inside the fuselage, and the cooling air is provided at the rear of the fuselage outer shell 5. 9 is discharged to the outside of the shell shell 5, so that it is possible to eliminate the need for a backpack equipped with control system electrical equipment and eliminate the restrictions on the walking performance and whole body motor function of the humanoid robot by the backpack. In addition, the degree of freedom of the appearance design of the humanoid robot can be increased. Further, the cooling fan 9 can be simplified because cooling air that flows from the front to the rear in the body 1 can be generated by the ram pressure even when the humanoid robot walks forward.

  In addition, it is possible to eliminate the need for mounting control system electrical equipment and cooling means on the legs 2 and arms 3 that require exercise performance, and it is possible to avoid an increase in inertial mass including mounting brackets. 3, and the necessity of providing the cooling fan 9 or the like for the control system electrical equipment on the leg 2 or the arm 3 can be eliminated.

  Furthermore, according to the electrical equipment cooling structure of the humanoid robot of this embodiment, the upper half frame of the body 1 is connected to the front center opening 5a and the rear left and right openings 5b and 5c extending from the rear to the left and right sides. And a tower that extends across the openings 5a to 5c of the fuselage shell 5 and is removably coupled to the fuselage shell 5 to reinforce the fuselage shell 5 Since it has a bar 6 and two pipe frames 7, and the control system electrical equipment units 14 to 18 are mounted inside and on the side of the fuselage outer shell 5, the motor driver unit unit 14 of the control electrical equipment is provided. Since the cooling air entering from the front central opening 5a flows from the front to the rear and exits from the rear left and right openings 5b, 5c, etc., the motor driver unit is cooled by the cooling air from the cooling fan 9. Unit 14 Cooling can be performed efficiently, and the tower bar 6 and the two pipe frames 7 can be attached and detached to ensure the rigidity of the fuselage frame and good mounting (ease of mounting work) and detachability of the electrical equipment. be able to.

  Furthermore, according to the electrical equipment cooling structure of the humanoid robot of this embodiment, the cooling means is provided on the tower bar 6 located in the front part of the body 1 and sucks cooling air into the body 1 from the outside. The cooling fan 9 and the two cooling fans 9 provided at the rear of the fuselage outer shell 5 and exhausting the cooling air from the fuselage 1 to the outside are provided at the rear of the fuselage 1. As shown by an arrow CW in FIG. 7, a sufficient amount of cooling air can be reliably passed from the front to the rear in the fuselage 1 by the cooling fans 9.

  Furthermore, according to the electrical equipment cooling structure of the humanoid robot of this embodiment, the motor driver unit 14 has a plurality of exothermic elements 14c such as FETs fixed to a common large heat sink 14b on the substrate. Since these exothermic elements 14c are exposed in the cooling air flow path in the fuselage outer shell 5, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3B, a plurality of control system electrical equipment The exothermic element 14c can be efficiently cooled.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated example, the present invention is not limited to the above example. For example, the electrical equipment cooling structure of the present invention cools the control system electrical equipment mounted on the entire body of the humanoid robot. It is good also as a structure. The cooling means is either a cooling fan that is provided at the front of the fuselage and sucks cooling air into the fuselage from the outside, or a cooling fan that is provided at the rear of the fuselage and discharges cooling air from the fuselage to the outside. Either one is fine.

  Thus, according to the electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot of the present invention, a backpack can be dispensed with, and the restriction on the walking performance and whole body motion function of the humanoid robot by the backpack can be eliminated, and the humanoid robot The degree of freedom of the exterior design can be increased, and it is possible to eliminate the need for mounting electrical equipment and cooling means on the legs and arms that require exercise performance, so that the exercise performance of the legs and arms can be improved. In addition, the cooling means can be installed on the body together with the electrical equipment that generates heat, and it is possible to eliminate the need to provide a space for installing the cooling means on the legs and arms.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the external appearance of one Example of the electrical equipment cooling structure of the humanoid robot of this invention. It is a perspective view of the assembly state which shows the external appearance of the electrical equipment cooling structure of the humanoid robot of the said Example. (A), (b) is the top view and front view which show the electrical equipment cooling structure of the said Example. (A), (b) is the side view and rear view which looked at the electrical equipment cooling structure of the said Example seen from the left hand side of the said humanoid robot. (A), (b), (c) is a perspective view which respectively shows the driver board in the electrical equipment cooling structure of the said Example, the assembly method of a driver unit, and the assembled driver unit. (A), (b) is the front view and side view which show the whole said humanoid robot. It is explanatory drawing which shows the flow of the cooling air in the electrical equipment cooling structure of the said Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body 1a Body upper half 1b Body lower half 2 Leg 3 Arm 4 Head 5 Body outer shell 5a Front center opening 5b Rear left opening 5c Rear right opening 6 Tower bar 7 Pipe frame 7a Fixed pipe 8 On the body Half cover 8a Opening 9 Cooling fan 11 Clamp 12 Lower half frame 13 Speaker panel 14 Motor driver unit 14a Motor driver board 14b Heat release plate 14c Heat generating element 14d Spacer 14e Machine screw 14f Wiring board 14g Connector 15 Wireless LAN Unit 16 Attitude sensor unit 17 Rear driver unit 18 Computer unit 19 Battery unit CW Cooling air

Claims (4)

In the structure to cool the control system electrical equipment mounted on the humanoid robot,
Unitize the control system electrical equipment for each function,
In the body of the humanoid robot, the unitized control system electrical equipment is centrally mounted,
An electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot, characterized in that the body is provided with cooling means for allowing cooling air to flow from the front to the rear of the body. A frame of at least the upper half of the fuselage extends across the opening of the fuselage shell having a front center opening and a rear left and right opening extending from the rear to the left and right sides, and the openings of the fuselage shell. And having a reinforcing member that is detachably coupled to the shell outer shell at both ends and reinforces the shell outer shell,
2. The cooling system for electrical equipment of a humanoid robot according to claim 1, wherein the unitized control system electrical equipment is mounted at least inside the body outer shell.   The cooling means is provided at a front portion of the fuselage and sucks cooling air into the fuselage from outside, and a cooling fan is provided at the rear of the fuselage and discharges cooling air from the fuselage to the outside. The electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot according to claim 1, comprising at least one of the above.   4. The unitized control system electrical equipment has a plurality of heat generating elements that are fixed to a common large heat sink on a substrate and exposed to the cooling air flow path. The electrical equipment cooling structure for a humanoid robot as described in any of the above.

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